The debate around WiFi-only vs 3G/4G-enabled tablets has been raging for a while now.
WiFi-only supporters believe that the benefits of their choice are obvious, with the lower costs associated with the WiFi-only variant. In addition, more and more public places (airports, stations, coffee shops, etc.) now feature paid or, sometimes, even free WiFi connectivity.
Of course, those in the cell-enabled camp argue that, while public WiFi is growing, it’s certainly not enough. Even with the higher cost of devices and the need of an additional data plan, 3G/4G-enabled tablet owners claim that it’s a small price to pay for the ability to always stay connected.
Today’s good news is that the consumers looking for cellular connectivity will soon get the option to buy another amazing Android tablet. ASUS, which has so far released only WiFi-only versions of its tablets in the US, seems to be looking at bucking the trend. We know that because an LTE-enabled version of the budget-friendly Transformer Pad TF300, the Transformer Pad TF300TL, made an appearance in the FCC e-filing database.
The filing shows that the TF300TL will not only support HSPA on the 850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz bands, but will also support LTE on the 700 Mhz and 1700 Mhz bands. These are the bands used by AT&T, which gives us the possible destination of the device once launched. ASUS’ pad would be a great addition to AT&T’s already impressive tablet lineup, which features Android-powered devices from HTC, Pantech, and Samsung, as well as the iPad.
The WiFi-only Transformer Pad TF300 (by the way, we are giving three away) boasts impressive specifications, including a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. The Tegra 3 processor unfortunately does not play well with LTE radios, so it is likely that the Transformer Pad TF300TL will feature a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.
There is nothing set in stone as of now, but if I was an AT&T customer, I would hold off from buying or upgrading to a new tablet just yet, and wait for more concrete information about the possible release of the Transformer Pad TF300TL. You can view the complete FCC filing here.
What are your thoughts? Would you rather own a 4G-variant of a tablet or is WiFi more than enough? Are you excited about an LTE-version of the Transformer Pad TF300?
This article, LTE-enabled Transformer Pad TF300 heading to AT&T? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com – Your Android News Source.
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